


Instead of a Rivalry, Can I Have a Romance?

by lilyhearted



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Fluff, Light Angst at first, M/M, Model AU, Models, Mostly just a ball of fluff, One-Sided Attraction, Rivalry, Rivals to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-28 03:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19803874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyhearted/pseuds/lilyhearted
Summary: Ten didn’t ask for a rivalry.Actually, he wouldn’t have even known there was a rivalry in the first place if Hendery hadn’t found that stupid gossip article online.





	Instead of a Rivalry, Can I Have a Romance?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first fic for this pairing and for kpop/cpop in general! I actually have several fics that I've started and might eventually finish, but I decided to use Enrara as my motivation to finally get one complete! I'm happy with how this turned out though I'm worried the ending might seem a little rushed? But you tell me! I really love these two humans and I hope the prompter is happy with how I interpreted their prompt!  
> For the prompt #N-645:  
> Kun and Ten are famous models in the industry, and people see them as rivals despite them barely knowing each other. This leads to the biggest collaborations between the two where they finally meet each other. Some tension created despite doing their job perfectly. When they meet in another workplace, kisses and talks were exchanged but not numbers. With their busy schedule, all they can do are dancing around in each other's mind and seeing them only from the media. Until they met again through a party.

Ten didn’t ask for a rivalry. 

  
  


Actually, he wouldn’t have even known there was a rivalry in the first place if Hendery hadn’t found that stupid gossip article online. 

Articles didn’t feature him often, only the occasional tidbit if he’d managed to book a larger gig. Ten knew he had a steady fanbase online, but the media themselves seemed to find him boring. The only time had ever really been heavily featured had been when he’d decided to change careers. During that time, Ten had stayed far away from even looking at the links to articles that friends had sent him.

Giving up dancing professionally had been a lot to emotionally take in. 

Dancing had been his dream and he’d dedicated so much of his life to it. For a moment, _just a moment_ , it had looked like he’d achieved his goals. He was part of a premier company, dancing in shows all over the continent. But his dreams had been crushed when there had been an issue with his knee and apologetic doctors who said the word ‘surgery’ like it was a death sentence. They tried to be nice about it, explained to Ten that he’d eventually have full mobility back in three or four years like those years wouldn’t be the peak of his performing career. 

Like the stubborn idiot he was, Ten had worked himself through the pain, grasping at what he had left of his dream. It was his friends that had stopped him. Doyoung, Sicheng, and Hendery had cornered him and confronted him about his overuse of painkillers, how he could barely even walk to the studio anymore. There had been tears, plenty of them, but Ten finally let go. 

Modeling had actually been a pretty natural transition. It wasn’t as if the modeling and dancing worlds were so far removed from one another. Ten had picked up odd modeling jobs when he was still in the dance academy. He’d even modeled for a few brands back home in Thailand. His manager Taeil was more than happy to start forwarding all the modeling requests that had piled up in his inbox while Ten was focused solely on dancing. There was enough of them to earn a living, and Ten actually found that he enjoyed it. In a way, it was similar to dancing. A lot slower, obviously, but there was a technique to how you positioned your body, elegant movements to give the best view to an audience. 

After that whole debacle, Ten was quite happy to stay out of the public eye, and to be boring enough that journalists weren’t going to hound him. And it worked, at least until now.

“So who’s this Kun guy that you supposedly hate, gege?” Hendery asked from where he was lounging on the couch in the studio. The two of them were at a photoshoot, though Ten was the only one getting his picture taken today. Hendery did model on occasion, but most of the time he was at school working on his mechanical engineering degree. They’d met as teenagers who had both recently moved to Korea and were still trying to pick up the language. Now they lived together, and their conversations were a weird mix of English, Korean, and Mandarin that no one else understood quite like they did. 

“What?” Ten asked, brow furrowing as he leaned closer to the mirror so he could get a closer look at the earring he was currently trying to jab through his ear. 

“There’s this model named Kun, and apparently he’s your biggest rival? He’s from Fujian, according to the article. Also the article says you’re supposed to be at each other’s throats or something” Hendery hums as waves his phone vaguely in Ten’s direction. 

Ten made a small noise of success as he finally got the earring in and the back secured, leaning back to get a proper look at himself before turning so he could snatch the phone from Hendery’s fingers. He scrolled through the article, which on first appearance was kind of assaulting to the eyes. Really, who the hell actually wanted to read something that had titles in brightly colored letters like that? There were a couple images at the beginning of the article, one that Ten recognized of himself from a photoshoot he’d done about a month back. The second image featured a beautiful man with honey blond hair and stunning cheekbones. 

Surprisingly, he actually did recognize the model. 

“I met him once, and barely. We walked the same show a couple months ago?” It had been a rarity. Ten wasn’t a runway model, his height limited him to mostly print or digital. But every now and then there was a designer that didn’t consider the standard 178 cm to be a necessity. Kun had been there too. He was also just slightly under the usual height requirements for runway models. 

“Wow, how do you even start a rivalry with someone you’ve barely met? I’m impressed.” Hendery lounged further back on the couch, grinning up at Ten.

Ten didn’t know how that happened either. As far as he remembered they hadn’t even talked beyond maybe a few words in passing. Runway shows were hectic, he barely had time to say anything to anyone beyond a few words while they were slathering his face with makeup and tearing clothes off his body so they could shove his limbs into the next outfit. In a way, Ten was glad that he was a more commercial model if it meant more photoshoots and less running around. The work was harder to find and didn’t gain notoriety like runway did, but Ten had managed to make enough of a name for himself. 

Curiously, he read through the article, skimming to find the more poignant details on why exactly he was supposed to be in some sort of rivalry with this guy. 

“Supposedly it’s because we’re both foreign models working in Korea, and we’re both commercial models. They reference the runway show we were both at, also we’ve been booked to some of the same brands recently. Basically, they’re trying to make something out of nothing” Ten grumbled, tossing the phone back in Hendery’s direction. 

“I wonder if his agency paid for the article.” Hendery pondered aloud, managing to catch his phone with only minimal fumbling. 

“Why would they do that?” Ten sighed, carefully pinching a hair that had fallen out of place and righting it. 

“Publicity, a rivalry would get people talking. Your fans are all up in arms about it on twitter” Hendery turned his phone so that Ten could see. Not that Ten actually focused enough to read what the mass of brightly lit text was saying. 

“I’m not going to worry about it unless Taeil tells me I have to” Ten sighed then grinned as he reached out to ruffle Hendery’s hair, which got him a scowl, “How are classes?” 

“Stop treating me like a kid, you’re only a couple years older than I am” Hendery swatted at Ten’s hands which were trying to pinch his cheeks. “But since you asked, finals are awful and I want to die.” 

They continued laughing and chatting about school while Ten waits for the photographer to be ready. It was effortless, and nice, in a way that he never thought things could be after giving up dancing. That was why it was so easy to push the article to the back of his mind. Why should he worry about it? It wasn’t like it was going to change anything. 

Well, maybe he was wrong.

~~~

“Explain that one more time?” Ten said into the phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear. He was currently sitting in the back of a taxi, on his way to a shoot. 

“Would you listen please? You’re going to have a partner on this shoot. Taeil was going to tell you when you met up this morning, but Lucas and Woo’s casting is running long and he’s not going to be able to make it. He would have just texted, but he knows you’re terrible at checking your notifications” Taeyong’s voice is ridiculously calming despite the somewhat distressing news he’s relaying. 

“I got that part. What were you saying about my partner?” Ten huffed into the phone. He could hear Taeyong sigh into the speaker. It was a fond sound though, it always was with Tae. Even if he’d started working with Taeil after Ten, he’d been working in the modelling industry longer and still found a way to worry over Ten. 

“His name is Qian Kun, the one from that article a while back? Apparently a designer saw it and liked the way your pictures looked together. But Ten, I just...I want you to be careful alright? Everything I’ve heard about Kun says he’s a good guy, but we still don’t know where that article came from. It’s probably going to be fine, but Taeil’s not going to be there so just take care of yourself please? I trust you to do that more than most of the kids, but barely.” Ten can hear the smile in Taeyong’s voice. 

“Okay Mom, I get it, you’re worried” Ten sunk back into the seat, pulling his phone away from his ear so he could glance at the clock. He still had about twenty minutes before his call time for the shoot and the taxi was at most a couple minutes from the building they were shooting in. 

“I told you to stop calling me that” Taeyong sighed again, “But try to have fun at the shoot and remember that everyone is getting together for dinner on Thursday.” Everyone meant the mismatched family they’d formed in their company. Only four of them were actually represented by Taeil, but of course they’d collected other wayward models, singers, and dancers along the way. 

“I’ll remember. Talk to you later Yongie” Ten dug into his wallet for a handful of bills as the taxi rolled to a stop. He ended the call as he handed them over, tucking his phone back into his pocket as he exited the taxi. 

If there was one thing that Ten probably loved the most about being a model, it was that he could wear whatever he wanted. Not that he hadn't done that as a dancer, but the dress code was even looser as a model. He was being paid to wear clothing that was going to be provided at the shoot, so he could show up wearing anything he wanted. Most models went in the direction that he did, as low effort as possible while still looking somewhat acceptable in case a fan or other photographer caught sight of him. 

That particular day it had meant Ten was in a t-shirt that was worn out and faded, the graphic on the front almost illegible and the neckline sagging below his collarbones. It was paired with a pair of jeans that had rips up to the thighs. Which was __fine__ , a perfectly reasonable outfit for going to a shoot. 

At least that was what Ten thought until he stepped into the studio and was suddenly faced with a very gorgeous man dressed to the nines. 

Alright, that was an exaggeration. Kun wasn’t dressed in a full suit or anything. But it certainly felt like the other man was dressed to the nines in comparison to Ten. He was wearing slim fit dark jeans without a rip in sight, a dove gray button down with some kind of subtle pattern and a stunning, and expensive looking, tailored jacket. His platinum blond hair was neatly combed and yet somehow still looked soft. It made Ten feel positively underdressed. 

It wasn’t just his attire that left Ten feeling ruffled either. Logically, he should have known that seeing Kun in person, he was going to be better looking than a tiny photograph on a phone display and definitely better than the rushed impression that he’d gotten during the short runway they’d done together. Maybe he should have looked up a few more high definition photographs before now, but Ten still doubted that would have prepared him to be faced directly with the beauty that is Qian Kun. 

Kun seemed equally as stunned by him, though Ten couldn’t tell if it was in a good way or a bad way. As he made his way across the room he could see Kun’s gaze linger on his face before sliding down to his exposed collar bones, then down to the skin exposed by the numerous holes in his jeans. The problem was that Ten couldn’t read Kun’s expression, his face seemed carefully blank. Was it appreciative? Judging? It made Ten nervous in a way that he usually wasn’t. It reminded him of...yeah he wasn’t going there today. 

“Hey, Ten right? It’s nice to meet you, I’m Qian Kun” The smile on the man’s face was a little bit tense, which Ten couldn’t find any reason for except for if maybe he didn’t actually mean what he was saying. It also irritated him at how good Kun’s Korean was, he spoke with an accent but it was less pronounced than Ten’s. 

It took Ten a few seconds to realize that Kun had his hand extended, too occupied with analyzing his facial expressions. He took Kun’s hand cautiously, but shook firmly, determined not to be intimidated. Though he still hesitated before speaking, “Yeah, I’m Ten. Nice to meet you too Kun” He deliberately kept his voice neutral. 

Kun’s smile faded slightly and Ten mentally added a point to his side of the scoreboard. If there was a scoreboard, though he was definitely starting to think there was. The blond opened his mouth as if he was going to say something else, but the photographer chose that moment to interrupt. 

“How’s it going guys? I’m Johnny, I’ll be the photographer for today’s shoot.” The guy is ridiculously tall, or at least he is compared to Ten. But the mile wide grin on his face seems genuine and he was hefting a massive camera with one hand. “The designer was going for a kind of intimate, at home feel for the shoot. Wants people to imagine themselves hanging out in the clothes. Most of the clothes are warm or neutral colors, so we stuck with that for the set design” Johnny explained, gesturing to the rest of the studio. 

Ten had been too distracted by Kun to get a good look at where the shoot was taking place. It really did look cozy, set up to look like part of an apartment. There was a tasteful living room area, with a modern looking couch and simple but pretty art on the walls. The area was set up like an open plan house, with the kitchen directly across from the living room. It was a beautiful kitchen too, with light colored cabinets and enough counter space to make anyone who liked to cook at home weep with joy. It looked calm, and inviting, which apparently the designer was going for. Bad luck that it didn’t help Ten feel any calmer, because Johnny saying the word ‘intimate’ already had him suspecting he wasn’t going to like this shoot. 

“Does the kitchen actually function?” Ten was surprised by the first words to come out of Kun’s mouth. He glances over to find that Kun’s eyes are glued to the stainless steel stove, with something akin to excitement. It’s kind of cute actually, or Ten would find it cute if he wasn’t convinced that there was some kind of ulterior motive behind it. 

“It does actually, this place is used for a lot of cooking and food shoots so everything works. The fridge is stocked too. Can you cook? Do you want to? That could make for some interesting shots actually” Johnny contemplated that as he turned toward the kitchen, clearly distracted by some idea in his head. 

“If you don’t mind. I like cooking” Kun bowed his head slightly, a smaller and more genuine smile on his lips. 

Oh. __Oh__. Ten gets it then, this was a way for Kun to show off. He almost wants to interrupt and say that he can cook as well, but he doesn’t for two reasons. One, it would be really lame to say that now like he’s just trying to one-up Kun. Two, his version of cooking is very strictly based around recipes and ingredients he has bought for said recipes, cooking off the cuff like this is bound to end in disaster. So Ten just huffs quietly and mentally adds a tally to Kun’s side of the scoreboard. 

“Go for it then. I was thinking we’ll just have you guys sort of hang out in the space to start with, get comfortable, you know? I might ask you to change position every now and then, and we might have some more staged poses later, but I want this to feel organic. It’s going to be a mix of individual shots and the shots of you two together. The designer was pretty specific about wanting more shots of you as a pair, but we’ll figure that out as we go along” Johnny explained. 

Despite the tension with Kun, Ten found himself already liking Johnny a lot. Unlike most photographers Ten had worked with, Johnny was younger and didn’t seem like he was going to dictate every move of their fingers. He seemed chill, and that relaxed Ten a little. 

When Johnny started taking pictures, Kun was thinly slicing vegetables on the counter and Ten was sitting across from him. His elbow was propped on the countertop, a book pressed open carefully between his fingers. It wasn’t actually incredibly comfortable, he’d contorted his body on the stool so that he was slightly facing the camera, trying to make himself look a little taller and show off the clothes he was wearing. The set was mostly quiet aside from the snap of the camera, Johnny’s occasional instructions, and the rhythmic chopping from Kun’s knife. 

Instead of reading the book, Ten found himself watching his fellow model. While Ten had seen the offer to cook as a power move, Kun really did seem to be in his element. He looked beautiful doing it too, long elegant fingers delicately holding vegetables and slicing them into even pieces. Sometimes his handsome features would scrunch up slightly like he was concentrating, but he seemed to realize after a few moments and smooth his face out into something more model like. Ten was trying very hard not to find it cute. 

Every now and then, Kun would look up and meet Ten’s eyes. Of course, Ten always rapidly returned his gaze to his book as if it was the most fascinating thing. It felt like Kun’s gaze lingered a little longer after that, watching Ten pretend to be absorbed in reading. It made the room crackle with a weird tension. Ten wasn’t even completely sure how to describe the feeling. 

It didn’t feel solely competitive. 

Johnny took his time on each of the individual shots, though occasionally he’d ask the two of them to interact. Like when he asked Kun to lean over the counter and offer Ten some of what he was cooking on a spoon, or Ten to lean over the counter and steal a slice of celery. It was terribly domestic, and Ten wasn’t sure Johnny had gotten any good shots because the two of them seemed to tense up every time. Not that the clothes didn’t look good, because the shirt Kun was wearing stretched nicely over his shoulders and the front billowed out just right to just give a peek at his collar bones every time he leaned over the counter. 

“Turn your hips slightly to the right, it would be a better angle” Ten thoughtlessly followed the direction before realizing that it hadn’t come from Johnny. Then he had to work very hard to keep his expression schooled into something neutral and not betray the fact that he was suddenly seeing red. 

It wasn’t the first time that Ten had been told what to do by another model. Kun hadn’t even said it in a way that was meant to be hurtful. He’d said it softly so only Ten could hear, most likely just trying to be helpful, not meant to embarrass him. But it was hard for Ten to concentrate on that in the moment. He was used to backhanded comments, things said on the sly to eat away at his confidence. There had been a lot of that at the beginning of his modeling career. Though it hadn’t really gotten to him then, not until the person he’d been dating started doing it. Which was a lot of bad memories that he didn’t want to be reminded of, especially not when he was already fighting to not be intimidated by Kun. 

The glare he shot at the other model when Johnny fiddled with his camera made Kun shrink back. His plush lower lip pushed out in an unconscious pout and his brows furrowed slightly. It confirmed that Kun almost definitely hadn’t meant the comment to be hurtful. If he had, he would have expected Ten to respond like that. 

The next few shots clearly weren’t what Johnny was looking for, judging by the way he’s sighing, both Ten and Kun were tense from their little interaction. It was a long five minutes later that Kun cleared his throat and suggested a break, explaining that the food was done anyway. 

The rest of the staff were giddy as they crowded around the counter with plates. Ten joined them warily, barely looking up from his plate until it was full of something that looked delicious and he then promptly escaped to the other side of the room. 

The food was heavenly, Ten really hated to admit that, but he also was really busy with stuffing his face so there wasn’t any use in denying it. But he certainly wasn’t going to admit it out loud. While still eating, Ten rifled through his things to get his phone, wondering if he had any missed texts from Taeil or Taeyong, only to find he had a text from someone less expected:

 **Doyoung** : Want to explain why you’re being a dick to Kun?

 **Ten** : wtf are you watching me?!?!

 **Doyoung** : Of course not, I’m in rehearsal, how would that even work?

 **Doyoung** : Kun is texting me all worried that he’s somehow done something to offend you. 

**Doyoung** : So I repeat, why are you being a dick to Kun?

 **Ten:** You know Kun?!?

 **Doyoung** : Seriously? That’s what you’re stuck on?

 **Doyoung** : We collaborated a while back, I got dragged into a photoshoot. 

**Doyoung** : So back to my original question.

 **Ten** : He started it.

 **Doyoung** : Kun? Kun started it? I find that hard to believe. 

**Ten** : Why?

 **Doyoung** : Ten, Kun is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. He’s the kind of polite nice guy people want to take home to their mom. The only time I’ve even seen him be slightly mean is when he’s with people he’s known forever. 

**Ten** : Well...maybe it’s just an act. 

**Doyoung** : Ten, you know me. How often is it that I actually like people? 

**Ten** : Almost never. 

**Doyoung** : Then trust me when I say that I actually like Kun and he’s a good guy. I mean he’s been texting me nonstop worried that he’s somehow screwed up and made you hate him. 

**Ten** : Really?

 **Doyoung** : Really.

 **Ten:** Maybe I fucked up…

 **Doyoung** : Fix it then, and get Kun to stop texting me. My manager is giving me the evil eye for texting during rehearsal. 

**Ten** : I will. Thanks Doie, have fun at rehearsal. Love you! <3 <3

 **Doyoung** : Love you too.

Ten looked up from his phone and found Kun across the room. He was hunched over his phone like Ten, furiously texting with his bottom lip was caught between his teeth. Kun seemed...worried if Ten had to use a word to describe him. It made Ten’s chest constrict a little, watching Kun’s thumbs hurriedly poke at the screen in front of his face, texting Doyoung according to the texts he’d gotten from the singer. 

Very slowly, Ten uncurled himself from his spot and set aside his plate. Then, he quietly made his way across the room. Kun hadn’t heard him coming, still staring at his phone screen even when Ten was standing right in front of him. The staff around them were all trying very hard to make it look like they weren’t interested in what was going on between them. 

“I’m sorry” Ten was afraid at first that he’d said it too softly, but Kun’s head immediately popped up and his dark eyes framed by long lashes are staring up at him. 

“What?” Kun said the word carefully. 

“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot today and that might actually be my fault so I just wanted to say sorry” Ten looks away from Kun, ruffling the back of his hair self-consciously and he could almost hear the hair stylists complaining behind him.

Kun’s brows furrowed, then a few seconds later his eyes widened and words started spilling from his lips, “Did Doyoung text you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to complain but I hope I didn’t do anything to offend you or something. I was just worried after what happened on the set and..” 

Kun cut off as Ten leaned forward to gently place his hands on his shoulders, pressing gently to get his attention and stop the flow of words. If Ten had been worried Doyoung was wrong, he was less worried now after he saw how flustered Kun was over this whole thing. 

“Breathe Kun. Yes, Doyoung texted me, but he mostly just made me realize that I was being a jerk to you for no reason. Seriously, I’m not mad.” Ten withdrew his hands from Kun’s shoulders so he could sit down next to him on the couch. 

“Really? Because it felt like you hated me a few minutes ago” Kun raised a skeptical eyebrow. 

“Listen…” Ten sighed, pulling at the sleeve hem of the no doubt expensive shirt he was wearing, “I have bad experiences with other models telling me what to do on shoots and I was already kind of intimidated by you-” 

Now it’s Kun’s turn to cut Ten off, “You were intimidated by me?” 

“I said kind of, and I don’t know you got here early, you dressed nicely, you’re polite, and you’ve got that blond and gorgeous thing going on. Plus you can cook. It’s a little intimidating” Ten can feel his face heating up slightly and is suddenly very grateful for the makeup he was wearing. He glanced up to find Kun wasn’t frowning anymore, there was a smile stretching across his lips. It was kind of stunning, Kun’s smile, pulling his lips wide and making his whole face light up. 

“Shut up” Ten said preemptively, reaching out to shove Kun’s shoulder, but he’s already smiling too.

“What? I didn't say anything?” Kun was laughing now. 

“I can hear you thinking it” Ten tossed back. 

“It’s just...not many people have ever found me intimidating” The open and happy glee was definitely a better expression on Kun than how closed off he’d been earlier. 

“You say that but I bet there are more than you think” Ten pointed an accusing finger at Kun.

“Well then, I guess I’m sorry for intimidating you and giving you the wrong impression. I was actually kind of nervous to meet you. Can we start over? Hi, I’m Kun, I promise I’m not intimidating at all” The blond offers his hand out to shake. 

Ten kind of wanted to ask why Kun had been nervous, but instead he took Kun’s hand in his and shook it, “It’s nice to meet you Kun-ssi, I’m Ten and I can only kind of promise that I’m not an asshole” He couldn’t help but delight in the fact that he made Kun laugh again. 

“If I cared about people being a little bit of an asshole Doyoung and I wouldn’t be friends, so I think it’ll be fine” They were both giggling like fools. 

When they calmed down a little Ten spoke again, “Thank you for the food by the way, it was great. I couldn’t cook up something like that on the spot.”

“Well, I’d probably break something trying to do that pose you did earlier on the stool” Kun shot back, moving his legs in a poor imitation of the way that Ten had posed. 

“You’re right, I’m amazing” A wide grin stretched across his lips and his voice raised in a haughty sigh. It was teasing and light and made Kun laugh again. 

Johnny took that as the perfect time to interject and get them back to work. Which to be fair, it probably was a good time since both of them were now in high spirits. Ten was really going to have to ask to be booked on more shoots that Johnny worked in the future.

The second part of the shoot started easily enough, they’d moved from the kitchen to the living room set and the two of them lounged around the space together. Their clothes were light colors and made of soft materials, which made it easy to relax. 

Ten realized something as the two of them shifted from position to position, Kun was a _really_ good model. Not that he was putting his own skills down, but Kun seemed to have some sort of sense for modeling. He knew exactly which way to turn his head to catch the light, and Ten was amazed when he figured out that Kun had been subtly adjusting his position to mirror Ten’s. It brought the whole image together. Ten would have to think about doing that sort of thing, or trusting the director to adjust the image to his liking, but Kun just seemed to do it without thinking. 

“Ten?” Kun’s voice was soft, and he was looking up at Ten through the golden framed glasses that the stylists had given him. 

Oh. _Oh_.

It was like now that his brain had taken Kun off the intimidating asshole list, it now decided that it was more than okay that he was incredibly attractive. Especially when he looked soft and cozy and those glasses really were doing things for him.

“Yeah?” Ten responds finally, realizing that he was most definitely asked a question. 

“Johnny wants to do shots of the both us on the couch. Are you okay?” Kun asked, patting the space on the couch next to him. 

“Oh, yeah. I’m fine, sure.” Ten waves away Kun’s concern while he falls into the cushion beside him, mindful of the clothes. 

The poses start out easy enough, arms slung across the back of the couch as they both stare into the camera, or Ten leaning forward while Kun leans back. It’s even somewhat okay when Johnny asks Ten to position himself so that his back is pressed to Kun’s chest and Ten’s legs are slung over the arm of the couch. Kun’s arm around his waist feels like a warm brand, but that’s fine, it’s bearable. He even doesn’t mind the shivers that ran down his spine when Kun leaned in a little closer, his warm breath just barely hitting the curve of Ten’s ear. It’s okay, Ten is a professional. It’s not like he’s never had to deal with being attracted to a coworker before. It’s the modeling industry, they’re all unfairly gorgeous. 

It’s when Johnny repositions them so that Ten is now perched on Kun’s knees, sitting in his lap with his arms slung over his shoulders that Ten starts to lose grasp of his professionalism. Kun looks so sweet and soft like this, staring up at Ten serenely through the golden glasses that were sliding down his nose. His hands are slung low on Ten’s back, so the Thai model pushes them up for him, vaguely aware of the camera flashes around them. He finds himself playing with the dangling earring in Kun’s ear, twisting it gently back and forth. Their faces aren’t more than a foot apart, and Ten actually has a height advantage for once. 

Johnny wasn’t kidding when he said they were going for an intimate feeling. 

The two of them aren’t really talking, only an occasionally murmured word between them as they change positions slightly. It’s comfortable, but there’s a slight aching feeling in Ten’s chest. He’s not used to gentle domestic feelings like this, it certainly hadn’t been like this with his ex. The closest he got was probably when Taeyong, Sicheng or Hendery cuddled with him, but there was never this kind of underlying tension. The unbalanced feeling where Ten knew he could have very easily pressed his lips to Kun’s, after he’d been wondering how soft they were all afternoon. 

It was like a bucket of cold water dumped down his spine when Johnny called an end to their group shots, stating he just wanted to get some individuals before they called it a day. 

Ten expected the sudden distance to ease that tight constricting feeling in his chest. But he could feel Kun’s eyes on him while he was doing his individual shots. It took him a few frames to work up the nerve to look over at the other model, and when Kun caught him looking he sent teasing finger hearts his way with a childish smile. It made Ten laugh, which Johnny quickly caught on camera. _How could I have been intimidated by that? He’s such a dork, honestly, it’s kind of ador-_. 

Adorable. More than just thinking his coworker was hot then. It made something like panic settle in his chest. Ten couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually liked someone. Couldn’t remember the last time he _allowed_ himself to like someone. But here Kun was, sweet and attractive and a little awkward, and while Ten definitely had the urge to kiss him senseless he also wouldn’t mind holding his hand. That left Ten feeling almost more unsettled than he had been earlier. He almost missed it when Johnny told him he was done. 

Johnny told him he was welcome to stick around until he was finished with Kun’s shots if he wanted, a smirk on his lips and a raised eyebrow. But Ten was already too much in his head. He snuck glances at Kun’s shoot as he carefully shed the designer’s clothing. 

Kun was still on set when Ten walked out the door of the studio. 

~

He spent the next couple weeks rewatching the runway they had done together...and any other videos of Kun in interviews...and he may have bought a couple magazines that Kun had been featured in. Hendery caught him doing the last one, when he’d accidentally opened one of the packages to find Kun staring up at him and Ten defensively snatching the magazine out of his hands. He also found Kun’s instagram, which he definitely hadn’t followed and instead stalked occasionally. Kun doesn’t post very often.

It’s not an obsession, Ten doesn’t feel a need to, but he wants to know more about him. 

Kun is poised and well spoken in interviews, but with the same delightfully dorky edge that Ten had experienced in person. Apparently he’s even better at expressing himself in Mandarin, which he learned when he finally broke down and asked Hendery to help him translate an article. He always seemed to carefully avoid his personal life, which as someone who has had entirely too much of his personal struggle publicized, Ten can relate to. Even if it frustrates him in his quest for knowledge on one Qian Kun.

The more he learns, the more his stomach feels like it’s coiling tighter and tighter. Kun is _good_. Kun is good and perfect and handsome. 

An article came out about their shoot with a few of the leaked photos from set. It was cunningly named ‘Rivalry Turned Romance’, and features a few pictures of Kun and Ten looking particularly lovey dovey. Ten knew the photos were only part of the shoot but his stomach still clenched when he looked at them while he was curled up under the covers of his bed. The actual magazine that the shoot was for wouldn’t be out for another few months, but the grainier versions in the tabloid article were enough to make him unsettled. 

A sudden weight crushed him into the bed and Ten pulled back the covers ready to yell at Hendery only to be facing an amused Doyoung. 

“I could feel you having a crisis from across town like some freaky telepathic connection I didn’t ask for.” He explained, rolling so that he was beside Ten rather than directly on top of him.

“Ew, I don’t want you anywhere near my brain.” Ten scrunched his nose while he kicked the covers to the bottom of his bed. 

“Seconded, but want to tell me what this is about anyway?” Doyoung stares up at the ceiling. 

Ten hums and joins him in staring upwards, arms crossing over his stomach, “How’s recording going?”

“Fine, I’m working with a producer that doesn’t actively make me want to murder him, so that’s a plus” Doyoung let Ten avoid the topic for now, and he appreciated that.

“So you like him. Is he cute?” Ten grinned eyes sliding to the side to catch the faint trace of red in Doyoung’s ears. 

“He might be, not that it’s any of your business” Doyoung muttered, his sharp elbow collided with Ten’s side. 

“Not even with our freaky brain connection?” Ten laughed, rubbing his ribs. “But seriously, recording is going well? No one is fighting you on writing your own stuff this time?” 

“A little, but nothing I can’t handle. The new producer is helping actually” Doyoung sighed, shifting his head up further on the pillow. “Kun helped arrange some of the piano parts” 

“Kun did?” Ten is surprised his name comes out that easily.

“Yeah, I don’t think you got a chance to talk about it, but he’s a great pianist.”

“No, we didn’t.” 

“Is this the part where you finally stop talking about me and tell me what’s going on in your head?” Doyoung turned to face Ten now, rolling up onto his side. It reminded Ten of when they were younger. Not many people knew that they’d met in high school, people mostly just assumed that they’d become friends after they’d entered the industry. It made sense, they’d met most of their other friends through work. But somewhere in his closet, Ten has an album full of two skinny kids and the occasional addition of Hendery, who had been younger than them both. 

“You were right, Kun is the sweetest guy ever.” Ten eventually grumbles. 

“And?” Doyoung pressed gently.

“And he’s also really hot” Ten finally turned to look at Doyoung, knowing the other could probably read him like a book.

“When I told you to be nice to him, I didn’t really mean _that_ nice” He teased, a hint of his bunny smile sneaking out. 

“I didn’t...I’m not...it’s not like that” 

“I didn’t say it was. But it’s alright to be interested in Kun, in maybe dating Kun?”

Ten stayed silent, wrapping his arms a little tighter around himself. Doyoung gently pried his hands away, lacing their fingers together instead and pulling them to his own chest. 

“Is this some kind of bullshit self esteem thing?” That kind of phrasing would probably sting coming from anyone else but Doyoung, who has seen all of his issues, the worst of which came from his early dance retirement and then his ex. It actually helped in a way when Doyoung was blunt with him, he knew Doyoung was one of the most honest people in his life, without ever intentionally causing Ten harm.

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know”

“I’m not going to rehash this right now, because we’ve talked about this, you’ve talked to your therapist about this, and I know for a fact that every single one of our nosy friends have talked to you about this. But I will say one thing, don’t let anything hold you back from being happy. Life isn’t about whether you deserve something, it’s about taking the opportunities that you’ve been given and doing your best to make yourself and those you care about happy.” Doyoung squeezed Ten’s hands tighter, looking him in the eye. Ten could feel his throat constrict and his face grow warm. 

“That was surprisingly deep coming from you.” His voice warbled slightly, but he managed a tiny smirk in Doyoung’s direction.

“Shut up, Ten.” Doyoung pushed their combined hands toward Ten’s chest, rocking him backwards.

“Okay.” Ten’s grin was wider, and he squeezed Doyoung’s hands tight. 

Later they convinced Hendery to go get them ice cream.

~

It was a couple of weeks before he saw Kun again. 

Taeil had been cautious when he’d brought the offer of a second shoot to Ten after the model barely said a word about the first one. Actually, he’d seemed to entirely avoid the subject during their regular family dinner.

The designer had seen the raw photographs and immediately wanted a second part to display the rest of their designs. So Taeil had to call Ten and see if he’d agree to another shoot with Kun.

To his immense surprise, Ten agreed really quickly. He’d even insisted that he could go on his own. Taeil would have been more concerned about that if Doyoung hadn’t been decidedly _not_ concerned about it. If anything, he’d looked almost smug when Taeil had mentioned it. So Taeil just chalked it up to one of those things that he really didn’t need to know about until it either became a problem or something good that Ten wanted to share with everyone. 

So Ten headed to the shoot by himself and his leg bounced the entire ride over there, from nerves or excitement he didn’t know. 

The shoot was outdoors this time, taking advantage of the clear, chilly fall weather. The tall vegetation and flowers not yet yellowed. It looked beautiful actually, like something right out of a romantic movie. And if that thought didn’t make Ten’s heart clench a little. 

Johnny was the first person he saw, it was kind of hard to miss him really since he towered well above everyone else. He waved enthusiastically when he saw Ten and stepped away from the elaborate camera set up he had going on to meet Ten on his trek into the field. His smile was big and excited as he explained the setup of the set and that there were a whole bunch of blankets if they got cold, but Ten was distracted. 

“He’s not here yet” Johnny added with an amused grin. 

“What?” Ten looked up at the giant of a man, frown pulling at the corners of his lips.

“Kun. That’s who you’re looking for right? He hasn’t gotten here yet” Johnny laughed, adjusting the camera he had around his neck. 

“Oh right. Well...I should just...go check in with wardrobe” Ten hated that he could feel his face heating up, even with the knowledge that he could blame that on the cold wind whistling past. 

The sound of a car pulling up was what stopped his escape, and he could hear Johnny laughing about how fast his head whipped around. 

On their first meeting, Ten had wished he’d looked up more pictures of Kun in order to prepare himself. But he’d been doing nothing but looking at pictures of Kun for the last few weeks, and that still didn’t prepare him for seeing Kun in person. 

His hair had changed, that was the first thing that Ten noticed. Rather than the bold platinum, it was now a warm brown color. Kun hadn’t even bothered to style it yet, so it hung in a soft curtain on his brow, ruffling easily when a breeze went by. Ten didn’t think he’d ever had an urge quite so badly to touch someone’s hair. Maybe he would understand it more if it was purely sexual instinct, to pull on his hair when they were making out or something. But he also just wanted to push it from Kun’s eyes, to see him smile. 

The Kun stepping on to the set was an all around softer image than the one at their first meeting, having gone for more casual clothes. He leaned back into the car to pay the driver before walking down to where Ten and Johnny were still standing. 

“You changed your hair” Wow way to go Ten, the goal was to make a better impression this time. 

Kun raised a hand to run through his hair self consciously, “Ah, yeah, I did. Do you not like it?” 

“No! I mean, yes! I like it. The new color suits you” Ten felt flustered as he waved his hands trying to correct himself. “It looks really good” 

“Really?” Ten could swear that he saw Kun’s ears turning a little red, but it was up for debate whether it was because of the cold or his compliment. 

“Right well, as much as I would love to stand around here and watch you two figure out... whatever this is, I need to finish setting up and you two need to go see the stylists” Johnny definitely sounded amused as he broke the tension surrounding the two models, who both very quickly glanced away from each other. 

Ten wasn’t sure what he was feeling. This kind of shy awkwardness hadn’t ever been something he’d experienced. Being attracted to someone, liking someone, had always been a simple process for him. He liked someone? Great, he asked them out. There wasn’t any of this shyness. With his ex, they’d ended up hooking up right after they’d met at a company dinner. Maybe he was feeling awkward now because that had ended so badly. Maybe it was because he and Kun had gotten off to such a bad start in the first place. Either way, it didn’t feel bad? He felt _giddy_ actually. 

The fear was still there, the doubts were still there, just _less_. 

The stylist adjusting his clothes kept having to work to get his attention, because his gaze would wander to Kun. At least it seemed mutual, their gazes would meet every now and then and both of them would look away like shy teenagers. 

Their styling for this shoot was again in soft neutrals. Kun had an attractive cream colored sweater on, that had a loose neckline that showed off the occasional hint of collar bone. Ten was showing a little more than that, with a loose satin button down that had long sleeves and more than a few buttons undone. It also definitely wasn’t warm enough for the weather. Ten was shivering before he’d even stepped into place. 

Johnny had taken one look at him and said that they’d do Ten’s individual shots first, to try and keep him from freezing. He managed to keep his teeth from chattering as he stood in a field of flowers. He bent back to look at Johnny, fingers posed over the greenery that was tall enough to reach his hips. The cold actually made it easy to concentrate, the sooner he finished shooting without being distracted the sooner he could get warm. 

“Alright! Ten you’re good for now! Kun, you’re up! Ten get a blanket and get changed” Johnny called, eyes on the screen of his camera. 

Ten breathed out in relief, very hurriedly making his way out of the grass and toward the side. His arms felt almost numb and his teeth were chattering. He nearly whimpered when a warm weight settled around his shoulders and was securely tucked around him. Another small noise threatened to leave his lips when he looked up and realized it was Kun that was very meticulously making sure that he was wrapped up. Ten wanted to say something, but Kun was giving him the sweetest smile and Johnny was already yelling for him. 

Not getting to watch Kun’s shoot because he had to prepare for their next set was kind of a bummer, but he sat patiently while the stylists fiddled with his clothes, hair and makeup. Eventually Kun came in, cheeks reddened from standing out in the cold. He looked great like that actually, smiling and a little breathless. 

The next set was both of them, and Ten reluctantly shed his blanket shield when he stepped in front of the camera. It was made almost worth it when he saw Kun holding out a hand to him. Ten lett him take it and lead him across the field as Johnny snapped their picture in the background. It felt a lot like their last shoot once they’d managed to clear the air. Some of the same tension was there, but for the most part it was comfortable and casual. Johnny occasionally called out suggestions, but mostly it was just the two of them interacting with each other. They had different ideas about poses that they shared in quiet breaths. Kun ran his hands down Ten’s arms quickly when he felt him start to shiver too much.

Kun’s arms were wrapped around Ten when he heard him make a soft noise of awe. Ten went to move to see what Kun was making noise over, but the arms around his waist tightened ever so slightly. 

“No don’t move, tilt your head back a little” Kun directed quietly, and Ten noted that his defensive walls didn’t react the same way this time. Kun sucked in a breath when Ten did as instructed “There. Wow, you look stunning.” 

“Don’t I always look stunning?” Ten teased, but his heart was thudding loudly in chest. 

“Yeah, you do” It’s shockingly honest, and Ten kind of wants to turn around to see if Kun is even slightly embarrassed, “But the lighting is perfect right there.” 

Johnny seems to agree if the aggressive sound of a shutter is any indication. Ten can feel Kun move closer over his shoulder and he tilted his head to meet his so that their temples were pressed together, hopefully not ruining Kun’s perfect lighting. It was warmer with Kun’s arms wrapped around him.

They’re standing there for a few minutes longer before Johnny calls for a break. By that time, Ten has made up his mind that he’s going to do something about what was going on between them. So he wrapped his fingers around Kun’s wrist and silently drags him behind the food services tent, where they can get a little more privacy. 

Ten intended to talk it out, figure out if Kun was having the same sort of feelings. He began with “Listen, Kun-” 

Only, that was as far as he got. Because there were achingly warm fingers on his jaw and soft lips on his. 

Kun was kissing him. 

Kun was _kissing_ him.

When Ten doesn’t respond immediately, Kun pulls back with a worried expression, “Sorry, was that okay? I probably should have asked it’s been a while-” 

Ten took his opportunity to cut Kun off by reaching up to the back of Kun’s neck to pull him down into another kiss. It’s soft, gentle in a way that none of Ten’s first kisses have ever been. Delicacy has never been Ten’s forte but Kun holds his jaw like it’s something precious and his lips move like they’re savoring every movement. Ten’s hand snuck up into Kun’s hair and discovers that it is just as soft as he suspected. There’s another hand on his waist, pulling him closer. 

Logically, he knows that they can’t take this very far, or everyone on the set is going to know what they were up to. But it’s very hard to remember logic when Qian Kun sighs against Ten’s lips and starts gently guiding him backwards until he’s pressed up against the wall of the tent. Not the sturdiest thing, but it does the job. 

Their tongues meet, and suddenly things started to feel a lot less soft. Kun tastes like coffee, bitter but with a hint of sweetness. Ten tugs at the strands of hair in his fingers and succeeded in getting a low, delicious moan from Kun. The chill outside hardly seems a factor anymore when Kun steps closer, his fingers tightening on Ten’s hip and slotting their legs together. Their kisses grew more impatient, Ten’s teeth grazed Kun’s lower lip more than once. 

They broke away panting when both of their lungs started to burn from taking hurried breaths. For a moment all they did was catch their breath, still wrapped up in each other’s arms. Kun’s eyes were still on Ten’s lips until he lifted them to meet Ten’s, the most devastating smile on his lips. It made Ten want to lean in again, to taste that smile. But at that moment they both hear the head stylist yelling for them. 

It’s fair to say that their attempts to straighten themselves up weren’t actually very good. The whole stylist team greeted them with raised eyebrows like they definitely knew what the two of them had been up to. 

Ten was a little disappointed they didn’t get to talk about everything, but when he meets Kun’s eyes in the mirror, he feels like there’s a silent promise that they’ll do that later. At the very least, he knows that Kun is feeling some of the same things he is. 

If he’d thought what he was feeling was like a teenage crush, it makes Ten giggle when he realized that they’d basically done the equivalent of sneaking off to make out behind the bleachers. The laughter gets him scolded by the make up artist, but nothing could put down the small, giddy feeling in his chest. He pressed a hand to his chest, as if trying to capture that feeling. 

The rest of the shoot went smoothly, it’s kind of a surprise considering how distracted both of them had been earlier. But now, it was like some of the tension had dissipated and the two of them could go back to doing what they were supposed to be doing. That didn’t mean that there wasn't any lingering looks or wandering hands, but for the most part they kept it professional and managed to get all the shots they needed without Johnny wanting to kill both of them. Not that he would, Ten heavily suspected that Johnny had been enjoying this little back and forth between him and Kun. 

There were only a few more individual shots in new outfits before they could wrap up for the day. Kun had gone first, and this time Ten had been able to enjoy in full watching Kun work. 

Ten was in the middle of shooting when he saw someone exit a car up on the road. The man rushed across the set, talking briefly with a staff member before heading for the stylist’s trailer. Only slightly concerned, Ten shifted his position, arms stretching high over his head and letting the hem of his shirt ride high. He’s startled though, when the door to the stylist’s trailer opens again and the man and Kun exit. Kun’s dressed down again, though it looks like he’s still wearing half the makeup from the shoot. 

The man and Kun rush across the set to the still waiting car. Ten wants to call out to Kun, ask him what’s going on, but he’s honestly too shocked. He watched Kun look back once, offering a single pitiful wave before he got into the car. A member of staff comes up to whisper in Johnny’s ear. 

“There was some kind of emergency, but since we were just finishing up here, that’s fine, right?” Johnny asked, looking like he expected the opposite. 

“Right” Ten said dully. 

He didn’t even have Kun’s number. 

~

Hendery said he was moping. 

Ten said he wasn’t. 

Sicheng said he definitely was. 

Ten contended that maybe he was moping, but only when Sicheng had given a long suffering sigh and let Ten sprawl across his lap while Sicheng ran his fingers through his hair. 

“Why don’t you just get his number from Doyoung?” His long suffering friend asked, long elegant fingers scratching Ten’s scalp. 

“Two reasons. One, Doie will laugh at me for making out with Kun before getting his number. Two, he’s out of the country for his MV shoot and doesn’t have cell service” Ten counted on his fingers. 

“Don’t you have any other way to contact him?” Sicheng sighed, smoothing the hair away from Ten’s forehead. 

“I know his instagram, but he uses that like once a month and I also have no idea what to say. Hey, we made out and I thought it might be something more but you ran out so what’s the deal?” Ten complained. 

“Probably not the best plan” Sicheng laughed, a single finger tapping the center of Ten’s forehead, “No chance you guys will bump into each other?” 

“Taeil says I’m booked out for the next couple of weeks, and none of them are anything I might run into Kun at. Taeyong also heard from some friends that Kun’s pretty well booked too. The first part of our photoshoot just came out and it’s making some rounds” Ten knew that was a good thing, it meant that his name is getting out there, but in the moment it feels like the world is conspiring against him. 

“You’ll figure it out, if it’s going to happen it will” Sicheng poked Ten’s cheek. 

Ten groaned and swatted at his hands, “You’re just saying that because you’re in the perfect relationship, it’s not fair.”

Sicheng just laughed and pushed Ten off the couch. 

True to Taeil’s word, Ten is booked out the next few weeks. Being absurdly busy does help Ten from thinking too much about what might have been. Still, at night he finds himself scrolling twitter and online articles, looking for any mention of Kun’s name. It’s not too hard once he knows where to look, there was a small collection of Kun fans out there, who provided Ten with more than enough pictures. 

More than once, Ten wondered if maybe he should just message him on instagram. His fingers hovered over the direct message button for so long before he closed out of the app entirely. 

Work is good though, he goes to a lot of shoots. One of which he works with Johnny again, and he really does like the lovable giant. He also learns that he’s dating a model that Ten knows fairly well. It’s good, it keeps him distracted. 

It also means that he’s exhausted. Which is why when Hendery had asked him to go to a party, he had answered with a definite “no” while laying facedown on his bed. 

“Please Gege” Hendery whined, poking at the prone Ten’s shoulder, “Please please” 

“Ask Sicheng” Ten grumbled, burying his face further into the pillow. His plans for the day had been to lay around in bed and possibly, possibly stalk twitter for photos of Kun’s latest photoshoot. 

“He’s got a date tonight. Please come with me Tennie. I don’t know anyone else who would go and there’s kind of someone I want to see there” Hendery pouted. 

At the mention of a person Ten turns to the side, his lips curling into a very cat caught the canary smile. “Oh~ So there’s a boy then?”

“Gege” Hendery pleaded, and Ten could already see his ears turning red. 

“Fine, I’ll go, but you’re telling me all about this boy of yours on the ride over there” Ten poked at Hendery’s hip and laughed as he squirmed away. 

On the ride over, Ten learns all about a pretty boy named Xiao Dejun, who has the voice of an angel and is currently in the music department at Hendery’s university. They’d literally run into each other, and it sounded like a meet-cute worthy of a romantic comedy. It was cute how excited Hendery was, really the kid might seem shy but when he got excited he just got so bright. 

The party is already in full swing when they arrive, and Ten looks at the grandiose door with a small amount of dread. He’s tired, and really in no mood to party. But Hendery has a hand wrapped around his wrist and is dragging him through a crowd of people. Ten just allows himself to be dragged, hardly taking in the chaos surrounding him until they’re stopped and Ten only has to look at Hendery’s expectant puppy expression to know that they’d probably found the mysterious Dejun. 

His first impression is a really pretty face and a killer set of eyebrows. But when the kid spots Hendery his face bloomed with a soft smile making him look so much cuter, and Ten thought that this was probably going to work out for his favorite didi. 

Dejun reached for someone by his side, excitedly whispering in his ear. It took Ten exactly two seconds to recognize that jawline. 

Kun.

Kun is there, at the university party that Hendery had dragged him to. Looking wonderful and not at all dressed for a party. It’s the most dressed down that Ten has ever seen him, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of glasses. His hair is floppy and he’s seemingly not wearing any makeup. For once Ten is the one dressed up, throwing on a shiny shirt and some eyeliner so he could blend in. 

Hendery pulls him closer, and Ten could read the exact moment Kun saw him, his eyes going wide behind his glasses. 

“Ten this is Dejun, Dejun this is my gege” Hendery happily introduced, gesturing between the two of them cutely. 

“Nice to meet you Ten” Boy his smile is killer, no wonder Hendery had fallen so fast, “This is my cousin Yangyang, he’s still in highschool, and our friend slash guardian Kun ge.” Dejun gestured to the adorable excitable boy Ten had just noticed was also standing next to him, and to Kun, who still looked startled. 

“Wait, Kun, like your Kun?” Ten wanted to die from embarrassment as Hendery turns to quizzically look at him. Seeing the ‘please let my death be imminent’ look on Ten’s face is apparently enough to confirm that he was right, “Hi Yangyang, nice to finally meet you Kun!” 

It helped somewhat that Kun seemed to also be embarrassed, he brought up a shy hand to rub at the back of his neck. Dejun is looking rapidly between the two of them and seems to catch on to Hendery’s not so subtle hinting because he takes both Yangyang and Hendery’s hands and made to depart with an excuse, “Well, we better go figure out where the drinks are. You two should…hang out here or something.”

Then they were left alone and Ten had no idea what to say. 

“Did you get dragged here too?” He eventually settled on. 

“Yeah, Yangyang wanted to come and I…” Kun trailed off, eyes on Ten. 

“And you?” Ten prompted. 

“Can we talk somewhere?” Kun asked instead of answering. 

“I thought we were talking?” Ten raised a brow. 

“Somewhere quieter?” 

“Lead the way.” 

They end up in some kind of study after discovering that most of the bedrooms have been otherwise occupied. 

It was awkward, how quickly silence fell between them and they both glanced away from each other and around the room. Ten realized that they hadn’t really talked before, maybe a little at each shoot, but not enough to really get to know one another. He probably knew more about Kun from reading his interviews than he had from actually talking to the man himself, even if he was quiet about his private life in official interviews. 

“I’m sorry, for running out on the shoot last time” Kun finally breaks the silence. 

“Johnny said it was some kind of emergency, I can understand leaving. I just wished you had left me your number or something” Ten murmured, fingers idly running along the top of the desk in the room. 

“I’m sorry, I got so caught up in what was going on that I forgot I hadn’t gotten your number and when I tried to text Doyoung I realized he was out of the country and god this whole thing is such a mess” Kun sighed, sinking down on the small couch in the room. 

“Can I asked what happened? That had you rushing out of there” Ten asked, moving around so he could lean on the front of the desk facing Kun. 

“It was Yangyang, he’d gotten into some trouble at school. I’m his legal guardian while he’s in Korea, since our families were friends and I was the only adult they knew staying here. He’s like a little brother to me, I love the kid a lot even if he does stupid things sometimes” Kun ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. 

Ten was smiling though, it sounded a little like the relationship he had with Hendery even if the gap between their ages was smaller. “I get it, you don’t have to be sorry.” 

“It’s just...everything seems to be working against me? I was so nervous the first time we met and apparently overcompensated enough to make you hate me. Then we get that resolved, and I just kiss you without talking to you and then manage to leave without getting your number. The one thing I wanted to go right and I keep screwing it up” Kun buries his face in his hands. He sounded so distraught about it that Ten immediately moved forward to kneel in front of him, gently prying his hands away from his face. 

“Hey, hey, you haven’t screwed anything up. We’ve both just had a few setbacks. Why were you nervous the first time we met?” Ten remembered Kun mentioning it that day too. 

“I uh, well this is kind of embarrassing” Kun began, and Ten was delighted to see his cheeks flushing slightly red without makeup to cover them, “I’ve actually had kind of a crush on you for a long time.” 

“On me? But we’d only met once before that, right? The runway show?” Ten sat back, his hands still wrapped around Kun’s. 

“I saw you dance, when I was in university. Before I really made it modeling I used to arrange piano music as a side job. I got to know a lot of people in the music and dance industry. One of them invited me to their showcase. You danced the finale, a solo piece, and you were amazing. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and that performance.” Kun explained softly.

Ten was a little shocked, his lips popping open. 

“But I didn’t really have a way to approach you or do anything about it, so I just went back to what I always did. I followed your career though. I went to see your first show with the company you signed with” Kun shrugged, “I knew you retired, started modeling. I didn’t even know how to talk to you at the runway show, but I thought it was pure luck when I was told we would be working on a shoot together.”

“And then I hated you” Ten supplied, still in awe. 

“And then you hated me. This is so embarrassing” Kun went to cover his face with his hands again but Ten kept them tightly trapped between his. 

“Will it make you feel better if I admit that I think I own every magazine you’ve ever been in? That I bought them all after the first photoshoot?” Ten offered quietly, moving so that he could sit beside Kun. 

“Really?” 

“Really. I may not have liked you for as long, but you definitely left an impression” Ten flips Kun’s hand over so he can link their fingers, “Thank you for liking me for so long. I’m sorry I was kind of an asshole when we first met.”

“It’s fine, maybe we could just start over?” Kun asked softly. 

“Sure, that sounds good to me” Ten smiled, squeezing Kun’s hand. 

“Hi, I’m Qian Kun. I work professionally as a model and occasionally still do some piano arranging on the side. I spend a lot of my time looking after Yangyang and Dejun because they always seem to find trouble. I wanted to be a pilot growing up but got scouted as a model and wanted to make sure my family was comfortable financially. I’ve also been infatuated with a boy named Ten for a few years now” Kun looked up to meet Ten’s eyes. 

“Wow, okay, that’s a lot. Hi, Kun. I’m Ten, which is far easier to pronounce than Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. I used to be a dancer and now I work as a model. I live with Hendery, who is like a brother to me. I was in a bad relationship with another model about a year ago, which made it difficult to work with someone else, particularly when there had just been an article out saying he was my rival. Despite that, I fell for someone anyway. A sweet guy, another model. I’d also really like it if he would go on a date with me sometime” Ten murmured softly. 

Kun smile is bright and wide, “I’d like that too.” 

~

A little over a year later, something heavy plops into Ten’s lap where he’s sitting on the couch. He’d been playing with their new kitten, so Ten has to set aside the toy he’d been using before he can thoroughly examine the photo album that Kun has dropped in his lap. 

“What’s this?” He asked suspiciously, looking up at his boyfriend, who looks purposefully innocent. The kitten is running around his feet, playing with the ends of his shoelaces and Ten kind of wants to coo at the adorable sight. 

“Nothing, just a little something for our Anniversary.” Kun hums, leaning down to stroke along Tongtong’s small back. 

With that very vague explanation, Ten opens the album to be greeted by the same bright text that had assaulted his eyes way back when. It was the article that Hendery had shown him before their first photoshoot together, the one that had established their so-called rivalry. Quickly flipping the page, Ten discovered the article that had come out after the raw photos from their shoot had been released. The one after that is an interview with the designer of their clothes talking about the shoot. The more Ten flips through the album, the more he sees the story of their relationship. There was even an article about when they had announced their relationship on social media. 

Ten doesn’t even realize he’s crying until Kun is suddenly by his side, concerned. Instead of letting Kun ask if he’s okay, he just leans in to kiss him quickly before burying his face in Kun’s neck, hugging him tightly. “I love you. You’re so cheesy but I love you.” 

Kun just smiled, and hugged his boyfriend back, “I love you too.”


End file.
